Adjustable hanger for sliding doors



p 1956 R. A. JORGENSEN ETAL 2,761,172

ADJUSTABLE HANGER FOR SLIDING DOORS Filed Nov 14, 1952 INVENTORS Rob er? H. Jar-yen seen and Si-anley H.Car1 son United States Patent 2,761,172 ADJUSTABLE HANGER FOR SLIDING DOORS Robert A. Jorgensen, Edmonds, and Stanley H. Carlson,

Tacoma, Wash., assignors to Washington Steel Products, Inc., Tacoma, Wash., a corporation of Washington Application November 14, 1952, Serial No. 320,447

1 Claim. (Cl. 16105) This invention relates to an adjustable hanger for sliding doors.

Although many types of hangers for sliding doors heretofore have been devised, it has been a problem to provide a hanger of relatively simple construction which makes possible secure supporting of the door while at the same time permitting its adjustment relative to the door frame. As a result, the door may be out of plumb when first hung, or become so, as the frame warps or the building settles.

It therefore is the primary object of the present invention to provide a simplified, adjustable hanger for sliding doors which permits proper installation of the door in the first instance and its subsequent adjustment to compensate for warping and settling. This insures satisfactory tracking and proper appearance.

Still another object of this invention is to provide an adjustable hanger which may be adjusted without the use of special tools and without disassembling the door or the framing structure.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an adjustable hanger for sliding doors which may be locked effectively in a predetermined adjusted position, thereby insuring that as the door is used, the resulting vibrations will not disturb the hanger adjustment.

Still a further object of this invention is the provision of an adjustable hanger for doors which is of simple, inexpensive construction and universally applicable to doors of diverse design, dimensions and weight.

The manner in which the foregoing and other objects of this invention are accomplished will be apparent from the accompanying specification and claim, considered together with the drawing wherein:

Fig. 1 is a view in end elevation illustrating the construction of the presently described adjustable hanger, and its manner of application to sliding doors;

Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation of the presently described adjustable hanger further illustrating its construction and application;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of Fig 2; and

Fig. 4 is a view taken along the line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

From the drawings it will be apparent that the adjustable hanger of the present invention is suited for application to a sliding door, a portion of which is indicated at 10. The door may be of any suitable dimensions and weight and of either solid or hollow core construction. Its top surface 12 has therein a plurality of recesses 14 spaced apart from each other in a manner determined by the desired spacing of the hangers. In the usual case one such recess may be located at each end of the door.

Attached to the door above each of the recesses 14, as by means of screws 16, is a hanger strap 18. This strap has an up-struck portion 20, having a centrally located perforation 22, which is designed to be aligned with recess 14 in the door. As will be apparent from the drawings, the perforation 22 is defined by a circumferen- 2,761,172 Patented Sept. 4, 1956 tial flange which extends upwardly from the periphery of the opening in the up-struck portion 20.

The up-struck portion 20 of strap 18 provides a recess 24 between the top surface of the door and the strap when the latter is in position on the door above recess 14. Seated within recess 24 is a centrally perforated, threaded, serrated adjusting wheel 26, having a hub 28. As will be apparent from the drawings and particularly from Fig. 3 thereof, hub 28 extends upwardly from wheel 26 and rotatably penetrates the aperture 22 and the circular flange which defines this aperture. The serrations 30 in the adjusting wheel are spaced apart at suitable intervals and dimensioned to receive a nail set or other suitable tool acting as a wrench for adjusting the wheel when the hanger is installed. Each of the serrations is dimensioned laterally to receive a projection 32 extending downwardly from the up-struck portion 20 of strap 18. The purpose of this projection will appear hereinafter.

Extending into the central threaded opening of the adjusting wheel is a threaded hanger bolt 34 which extends into recess 14 in the door. Bolt 34 is adapted to support the door and to this end is rigidly attached to a hanger plate 36. Plate 36 is adapted to work in a vertical position, but has a horizontal section 38 to which bolt 34 is secured.

Attached to hanger plate 36 is a hollow roller 40 rotatably mounted on an axle 42 through a plurality of ballbearings 44. A retaining plate 46 is provided to retain the ball-bearings within the roller.

Axle 42 carrying roller 40 extends outwardly from plate 46 in the same direction as does extension 38. Hence, the roller is adapted to ride in a track 48 of suitable design attached to the upper framing member of the door.

In installing the presently described hanger all that is required is to install the track on the framing member and drill the upper surface of the door to provide appropriately spaced recesses. A strap 18 is mounted over each of the recesses and a serrated adjusting wheel 26 inserted in the space between the up-struck portion of the strap and the door.

Hanger bolt 34 then is threaded into the adjusting wheel 26 whereupon the door is ready for hanging on track 48. The final adjustment may be made by means of wheel 26 as required to align the door with the frame so that it tracks freely.

It will be noted that when such adjustment has been made, projection 32 on the strap will nest within one of the serrations 30 on the adjusting wheel. The weight of the door then will maintain the projection securely within the serration. Hence, rotation of the wheel with vibration or with use of the door is positively prevented. This affords a simple locking means for releasably locking the wheel in its selected position. Then should the door get out of plumb after a period of use, suitable correction may be made by means of the adjusting wheel, using an elongated tool such as a nail set inserted in one of serrations 30. This realigns the door, projection 32 again serving as a lock to maintain the assembly in the desired position.

It is to be understood that the form of our invention, herewith shown and described, is to be taken as a preferred example of the same, and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to, without departing from the spirit of our invention, or the scope of the subjoined claim.

Having thus described our invention, we claim:

An adjustable hanger for a sliding door having a recess along its upper edge, said hanger comprising: a strap having an upstruck portion with a perforation centrally therein, a circumferential flange extending upwardly from the periphery of the perforation, means for affixing the 3 v strap to the upper surface of the door with the perforation in the strap registering with the recess in the-door, a serrated adjusting wheel having a central perforation therethrough dismensioned fo'r operation in the space between the door and the upstruck portion of the strap, an internally threaded hub extending upwardly from the Wheel and rotatably penetrating the perforation and flange of the strap, a hanger plate adapted to work in a vertical position and having a horizontal lower section, a bolt attached to and extending downwardly from the horizonl0 tal section of the hanger plate and threaded into the hub of the serrated wheel, a roller, and means for rnounting the roller on the hanger plate-for rotation in a vertical plane, the roller being positioned outwardly from the plate in the same direction as the horizontal lower sec- 5 tion thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

